Heat treating processes by which only the surfaces of gear teeth and the surfaces of the roots between the gear teeth are hardened to improve wear resistance are commonly called contour hardening processes. Typical contour hardening apparatuses include an induction coil around the gear for heating the gear in carefully controlled cycles and an electric motor for rotating the gear to assure uniformity of heating. Such apparatuses also include either a standing pool of liquid quench medium or polymer quench (referred to herein as "oil") into which the gear is lowered after the heating cycle or an oil manifold in the inductor coil housing from which oil floods the gear after the heating cycle. Either way, a mechanical brake is provided to stop the gear from rotating during quench to prevent centrifuging of oil off of the gear and consequent hardness variations. A contour hardening apparatus according to this invention is a novel alternative to such prior contour hardening apparatuses.